Ballot-box.



No. 795,114- PATENTED JULY 18, 1905- G..B. GILMORE, BALLOT BOX; APPLIOA'YIIO'N FILED b014, 1904.

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Patented July 18, 1905.

CHARLES B. GILMORE, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.

BALLOT-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 795,114, dated July 18, 1905.

' Application filed October 4, 1904. Serial No. 227.144.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CIIARLns-B. GILMORE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomington, in the county of McLean and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ballot-Boxes, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use my said invention.

My invention relates to ballot-boxes which With these ends in view my invention consists of the novel features of construction and combinations of parts shown in the annexed drawings, to which reference is hereby made, and hereinafter particularly described, and finally recited in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation of a series of ballot-boxes in position 1n the compartments of a voting-machine. line 2 2 of Fig. 3. of a single ballot-box. section on the line 4 4: of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the i Fig. 3 IS a side elevation f Fig. 4 is a vertical .an enlarged partial-vertical section on the line I .5 5 of Fig. 1, the handle and the locking-bolt being shown in elevation.

Similar reference letters designate like parts in all of the views.

In the drawings I have shown only so much of the voting-machine as is necessary to illustrate the connection of the ballot-box therewith.

The cabinet A of the voting-machine is a rectangular box having vertical partitions a, which divide the box into compartments each adapted to accommodate a ballot-box. The

1 causes the pin c to enter the hole 6.

ballot-box Bis preferably of metal and hasvertical partitions b, dividing the box into a series of ball-receptacles each adapted to contain a series of rows of balls arranged one above the other, each row containing a predetermined number of balls, preferably ten. The sides 5 of the ballot-box are of glass or other transparent material, through which the balls are visible. A cap B, secured on the box B by a screw-bolt b or other suitable securing device, has in its under side a longitudinal channel 6 in which the closure B slides. The cap B is pierced by a series of holes 6, which respectively communicate with the compartments of the ballot-box. The closure has a series of perforations 6 which respectively register with the perforations 7f through the cap when the closure is pushed inward and occupies the position shown in Fig. 3. The closure 13 is also pierced by holes 7) and 72 which respectively receive a pin a at the upper end of the locking-bolt E and the pin 01 at the upper end of the handle D.

The handle D is connected with the front of the box B by a hinge (Z and has a pin (Z, which extends upward through the hole 6 in the closure B Pulling on the handle D causes the closure to slide outward and bring the hole 6 into such position that the pin 6 of the boltE will enter the hole and lock the closure against inward movement.

In the end of the box B is a vertical channel 6 in which vertical locking-bolts E and E slide freely. A stationary lug b in the channel 6 projects through a slot 0' in the bolt E and supports a spring E which is compressed when the upper end of the pin 5 lies under the closure B and reacts to raise the bolt E when the closure is pulled outward and The lower bolt E has a chisel-shaped extension 0 which fits in a hole a in the base of the cabinet and locks the ballot-box in the compartment when the bolt Eis depressed. Near the lower end of the bolt E is a rectangular slot 6 in which a T-shaped extension 0' of the bolt E slides freely.

When the closure B is pulled outward by pulling on the handle D, the spring E acts to raise the bolt E and cause the pin 6 to enter the hole I)" and also to raise bolt E, so as to withdraw the extension (1 from the hole a. /Vhen the parts are in this position, the ballotbox maybe removed from the cabinet. hen it is desired to replace the box in its compartment in the voting-111acl1ine, the closure is lirst restored to its lirst position, as hereinafter explained. The ballot-box may then be placed in its compartment and pushed inward, when the chisel-shaped part 0 riding on the base of the cabinet, will raise the bolt E until the extension 0 of the bolt comes into registry with the hole a, when the bolt will gravitate and cause the extension 0 to enter the hole a and lock the ballot-box in the compartment of the voting-machine until the bolt E is again lifted by the bolt E, as already described. The bolt E slides upward to lock the closure and in doing so pulls the bolt E upward so as to withdraw the extension from the hole a. WVhen the bolt E is pulled downward by an instrument inserted in the hole a, it pulls the bolt E downward, so that the upper end of the pin a is below the closure B and compresses the spring E so that the spring will act to raise the bolt E when the closure B is moved outward.

At the lower end of the ballot-box is a door 13, connected with the box by a hinge 6". A hasp and shield B, suitably connected with the door B, has a slot 6. A stationary stud B on the box B fits in the slot 6 of the hasp B and has an eye I), through which the wire of an ordinary seal B may be passed and sealed to secure the hasp against unauthorized opening of the door. The part B" serves as a hasp to secure the door B and also serves as a shield to cover and protect the lower part of the slide E, so that the slide cannot be moved downward from the outside Without breaking the seal and removing the hasp and shield.

After the closure B has been moved outward it is necessary to withdraw the pin a before the closure can again be pushed inward. To accomplish this result, 1 provide near the lower part of the bolt E a hole 0, which is covered and protected by the hasp B", so that the hole is accessible. only when the hasp is removed. The hasp being removed, a pin or other suitable instrument inserted in the hole 6'' will serve to pull down the bolt E and cause it in turn to pull down the bolt E, so as to withdraw the pin 6 from the hole I)". The closure may then be pushed inward to its initial position.

hen it is desired to remove the balls from the ballot-box, the seal is broken, the hasp is removed, and the door B is opened, so that the balls may be removed from the lower end of the ballot-box.

The operation of the device is as follows: The ballot-box being empty and the door open, a pin or other suitable instrument is inserted in the hole and pushed downward, so as to cause the withdrawal of the pin a from the hole 7) in the closure. The closure is then pushed inward to its limit, thereby bringing the holes If through the closure into registry with the perforations b in the cap. The door B is then closed, the hasp B" is placed on the stud 15", and the wire of the seal B is passed through the eye 6" and sealed. The ballot-box is then inserted in its compartment of the voting-machine. Balls may then be deposited through the perforations I) and into the several compartmcntsof the ballot-box. When the operation of voting is completed, the proper oflicial pulls on the handle I.) and witl1- draws the ballot-box from its cox'npartmentin the voting-machine, and the act of withdrawing the box closes the openings communicating with the compartments of the bztllot-box and locks the closure against further use until the seal has been broken, the door opened, the balls removed, and the door again closed, as already explained.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a ballot-box, the combination of a partitioned box, a perforated cap secured on said box, aslidable closure having holes registrable with the perforations in said cap, a handle mounted on said box and connected with said closure and a slidable bolt engaging with said closure to lock same againstinward movement, as set forth.

2. In a ballot-box, the combination of a box having compartments, a perforated cap secured on said box, a correspondingly-perlo rated closure slidable in said cap, a handle mounted on said box and connected with said closure, a slidable bolt locking said closure against inward movement, a door closing the compartments of said box, a shield connected with said door and covering said slide, and means for securing said shield, as set forth.

3. The combination of a box having a channeled wall, coacting bolts slidable in the channel of the wall of said box, means for moving said bolts simultaneously upward, a cabinet having a compartment containing said box, a perforated cap on said box, and a perforated closure slidable in said cap; one of said bolts acting to lock said closure and the other acting to lock the box in its cr'impartment in the cabinet, as set forth.

4. A ballot-box comprising a box having a channel and compartments, a closure having holes registrable with the compartments of said box, a handle mounted on said box and connected to operate said closure, interacting bolts slidable in the channel of said box and adapted to lock said closure, also adapted to secure the ballot-box in a compartment in which said box is contained, a door controlling access to the compartments of said box, a shield connected with said door and controlling access to said bolts and means for sealing said shield in connection with said box, as set forth.

5. A box havinga channel and a lug in said channel, a slidable upper bolt, a spring sup-v ported on said lug and acting to raise said upper bolt, and a lower bolt slidable insaid channel and interlocking with and movable relative to said upper bolt; in combination with a movable closure adapted to be locked by said upper bolt and a stationary securing device adapted to receive the end of said lower bolt, as set forth.

6. A slidable upper bolt having a slot, a slidable lower bolt having a T-shaped extension sliding in the slot of said upper bolt, and a spring compressible by downward movement of the lower bolt and acting to raise both bolts; in combination with a box having a channel in which said bolts slide, a member slidable on said box and adapted to be locked by said upper bolt, and a stationary securing device coacting with said lower bolt, as set forth.

7 A ballot-box comprising a box having compartments, achanneled cap secured on said box, a closure slidable in the channel of said cap, a door hinged on said box, a hasp connected with said door, a sealing device securing said hasp on said box, and a handle pivotally connected with said box and connected with saidclosure, asset forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name, at Bloomington, Illinois, this 27th day of September, 190% CHARLES E. GILMORE.

Witnesses:

H. W. BARR, E. D; HOLTON. 

